Hometeam: Motivated Naps cruise past Mountaineers

Say this about the Holy Name girls' basketball team, it doesn't lack for bravado, confidence or determination. Just minutes after earning a rematch with Wachusett Regional in the Central Mass. Division 1 final, the Naps were openly discussing how they relished the opportunity to gain revenge for the Mountaineers ending their unbeaten season a year ago.

Say this about the Holy Name girls' basketball team, it doesn't lack for bravado, confidence or determination.

Just minutes after earning a rematch with Wachusett Regional in the Central Mass. Division 1 final, the Naps were openly discussing how they relished the opportunity to gain revenge for the Mountaineers ending their unbeaten season a year ago.

Top-seeded Holy Name made the most of its opportunity, using a balanced offense and an aggressive defense to handily dispense with third-seeded and cold-shooting Wachusett, 53-23, Saturday night at Fitchburg State University.

“The general consensus (among the players) was we owe Wachusett,” coach Barry Finneran said after his club improved to 22-2 and extended its winning streak to 17 games.

“It was definite motivation because losing to them last year was devastating,” sophomore guard Gigi Guenther said. “This year we really wanted to kill them like we did.”

The Naps, who won their first CMass title since 2007 and sixth overall, advance to meet Chicopee (16-7) at 7:45 p.m. Monday in a state semifinal at the DCU Center. Chicopee, seeded seventh, knocked off the No. 1, 2 and 3 seeds to win the Western Mass. title.

“We're really excited to go to the DCU Center now and we hope to bring home a state championship,” senior captain Missy Saad said. “It was definitely all about teamwork tonight. Everybody did their job, everybody did what they needed to do and we came out with the win. We never let down and I think that made the difference.”

The Mountaineers, who graduated some serious talent off last year's title team, finished 18-5 after losing to Holy Name for the second time in three games this season.

“I can guarantee you Doherty, Shrewsbury, Algonquin would have wanted to be here,” coach Jim Oxford said. “We got to the point where if we played our best 32 minutes of the season we'd repeat as champs. It just didn't happen.”

The Mountaineers, who scored 44 and 34 points in their two tournament wins, struggled offensively all game. They missed their first 11 3-point attempts and only attempted two free throws, missing the front end of both 1-and-1s.

Junior guard Mikayla Singas scored a team-high seven points.

But the Naps led by only 7-4 after the first quarter and looked like they were headed for another low-scoring slugfest between these rivals. Then Holy Name took charge in the second and expanded its advantage to 21-6 at intermission after Guenther came off the bench and scored six of her game-high 13 points in the second.

“I make sure I give a lot of energy because I know my team needs it,” she said. It's nice coming off the bench and knowing what you have to provide.

“I've had a couple of good games, but this one really came offensively. They kept feeding me the ball and I kept shooting.”

Before the game, Biney told her teammates to focus on winning each quarter. Holy Name did that in the first and second and then sealed the outcome in the third when it poured in 20 points to take a 41-13 lead.

Treys by Biney and junior Aryauna Perez (5 points, 4 assists) and a three-point play by Saad highlighted an 11-0 run to open the third. Perez' 3 was fortuitous as it was unintentionally banked in.

“In the third we hit one off the board and it just kind of exploded after that,” Finneran said.

Perhaps nothing showed how much Holy Name wanted this more than on the first play of the fourth quarter when Biney took a charge with her team up by 28 points.

“Anything you can do to help your team win,” she said. “I took the charge to give my team a boost and to leave no doubt we were going to win this game.”

This doesn't figure to be the last times these talented teams meet in the tournament.

The Mountaineers started three sophomores and a junior alongside senior Celina Frias on Saturday. The Naps' first five saw Saad teamed with three juniors and a sophomore.